All News Releases By Date

CO and MT watershed groups receive $1.6m from EPA

Release Date: 5/2/2003
Contact Information:

Denver -- EPA Administrator Christie Whitman announced nearly $15 million in grants to 20 watershed organizations selected as part of a new Watershed Initiative. Groups in Colorado and Montana received grants totalling $600,000 and $1 million respectively.

Regional and national experts selected the winners from a highly competitive field of more than 176 nominations. The winners were chosen because they demonstrated the ability to achieve on-the-ground environmental results in a short time frame. Each of the watershed organizations exhibited strong partnerships with a wide variety of support, showed innovation and demonstrated compatibility with existing government programs.

"The new national Watershed Initiative targets mature community-based watershed groups that have developed science-based watershed plans, established broad partnerships, and are ready to carry out projects that will measurably improve water quality," EPA Region 8 Regional Administrator Robert Roberts said. "Region 8 is proud to have two watershed groups in the Rocky Mountain region stand out among the many exemplary groups nationwide to be selected for funding."

In Colorado, last summer's Hayman Fire devastated 137,000 acres of the Upper South Platte River basin. Sediments running off fire-damaged areas into the watershed are a great concern. The watershed provides drinking water to three-fourths of Colorado's residents. EPA's Watershed Initiative will provide $600,000 to the Coalition for the Upper South Platte River to rehabilitate fire-damaged areas that are impacting water quality, and to protect and restore streams that are still relatively pristine. The Coalition has helped lead the post-Hayman recovery efforts and has an extensive network of community volunteers to help restore the watershed. Coalition partners will provide matching funds for the project.

The Clark Fork-Pend Oreille interstate watershed is the largest watershed selected for funding, covering 26,000 square miles, encompassing three states and one Indian reservation. More than 65 percent of the watershed's streams are not meeting the uses designated by states, making restoration and improvement of water quality imperative. Diverse stakeholders and individual watershed groups, under the umbrella of the Tri-State Water Quality Council have proposed a set of restoration projects. The funded projects -- from dairy waste management to riparian habitat restoration -- are aimed at reducing nutrients and improving fish habitat in this Northern Rockies watershed that forms the headwaters of the Columbia River. Total EPA funding for the project will be $1 million, and the Council and its partners are matching the grant with over $1 million in nonfederal funds.

"The Watershed Initiative builds on the energy, commitment, in-depth knowledge of local problems and enthusiasm of citizen-driven efforts," Roberts said. "These grants will help tackle some of the nation's most challenging water quality problems -- problems such as habitat loss and alteration, nutrient enrichment, pathogens and invasive species -- which continue to harm watersheds nationwide."